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Nightingale's Nest / Bülbül yuvası / Lakštingalos lizdas

Some Turkish desserts can boast about their somewhat romantic names such as nightingale's nest, lady's thighs or lady's navel. I believe the chef's were inspired by harem ladies or endless love stories that Ottoman times are well known for.

It is a very sweet dessert similar to baklava but much easier to make. A rule of thumb says that you need hot syrup and cold pastry or vice versus. Personally I usually use hot pastry and really warm syrup. I like the way the syrup soaks into the pastry and even caramelizes a bit from the heat. Give it a go!

Nightingale's nest

serves 8-10

What you need:

250 g phyllo dough

200 g butter

150g walnuts

100g almonds

2 tbsp sugar

Syrup:

3 cups sugar

3.5 cups water

½ lemon juice

for serving:

about 100 g finely chopped or ground pistachios

What you have to do:

Make syrup. Combine sugar and water in a pot and bring it to boil. Cook for 5 minutes. Then add lemon juice and boil for 5 more minutes. Set it aside.

Take phyllo dough out of the package and cover with a damp kitchen towel to avoid drying out.

In a food processor combine walnuts and almond. Mix them in a bowl with sugar. Melt the butter.

Take a sheet of phyllo dough and brush it with butter. Sprinkle with nut mixture. Fold the dough in half leaving 1 cm edge uncovered. Take a wooden or metal stick ( I used a skewer) and put it on a folded side. Roll the dough around the stick. Use your hands to push the dough from the sides to the centre. Remove the stick and bend the dough so that the sides touch and a round 'nest' is shaped. Put the pastry on a butter brushed baking tray. Repeat with the rest of the dough. You should make at least 10 nests or depending on the number of phyllo sheets you have. Arrange all the pastries next to each other and again brush them with butter.

Preheat the oven up to 170C and bake them for about 20 minutes until they turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and pour over the syrup. Leave them to soak and cool completely.

Before serving sprinkle with some chopped pistachios in the middle. You can serve it with clotted cream or ice-cream if you find this dessert very sweet. Tea or coffee is a must! :) Enjoy!